Israel pullout to stop if Lebanon army does not deploy

[RA]

Israel pullout to stop if Lebanon army does not deploy



JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel could withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon within 10 days, but only if the Lebanese army deploys quickly in the area, Israel's army chief of staff, Dan Halutz, said on Wednesday.

"The withdrawal of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) within 10 days is dependent upon the deployment of the Lebanese army," Halutz told parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to a spokesman.

"If the Lebanese army does not move down within a number of days to the south ... the way I see it, we must stop our withdrawal," Halutz added.
Lebanon's cabinet will meet on Wednesday to issue an order to the army to deploy in south Lebanon immediately, a senior political source in Beirut said.

The source said the 15,000-strong force will begin to deploy south of the Litani River on Thursday.
Halutz, who was speaking before news of the Lebanese cabinet meeting, had been quoted earlier as saying Israel was prepared to keep troops in southern Lebanon for months if it takes that long for an international force to deploy.

But his deputy, asked on Army Radio to clarify Israel's withdrawal timetable, said Israeli soldiers would likely be out of Lebanon within weeks.
The United Nations said on Tuesday it wants to deploy up to 3,500 new soldiers within two weeks to oversee a fragile truce and Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, where troops battled Hizbollah guerrillas for a month.

The U.N. Security Council last Friday unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a truce. It authorized up to 13,000 well-armed troops to augment a 2,000-strong force, known as UNIFIL, now in Lebanon.
Halutz said on Tuesday that Israeli forces, estimated to number under 30,000, could complete their withdrawal within 7 to 10 days.
The truce began early Monday and has largely held. At least 1,110 people in Lebanon and 157 Israelis died in the war that began after Hizbollah seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.
Halutz did not rule out a further breakout of violence.

"We must check matters one by one and correct them quickly. I do not rule out the possibility that the situation could explode and we as an army must be ready," he said, according to the committee spokesman.

[RA]

Which is a joke anyway because the lebanese army isnt going to do anything to hezbollah..

[Teabagger]

Also in the news today Hez is balking at withdrawing from the border. Plus it is doubtful they will disarm...duh! Hez wants an agreement from the Lebonese gov't that it will not look to hard for their bunkers and weapons caches.

I think Israel really screwed up by not bringing their full might to bear in this conflict to begin with. Now Hez is enboldened with the perception they can actually fight toe to toe with Israel. This is not over...it is only the calm before the storm. Unfortuantely this is gonna be Lebanons last chance to prove they can secure its borders of terrorists and put the rule of law, not the gun, in place. If they don't, I believe Israel will blitz into Lebanon and this time it will be full unrestricted warfare the likes the region has not seen in many years.

[collar]

Which is a joke anyway because the lebanese army isnt going to do anything to hezbollah..

i think im not sure but they are asking hezbollah to disarm but thats not happening.

[Logan13]

i think im not sure but they are asking hezbollah to disarm but thats not happening.

10-4, nasrallah (sp) has publicly stated that hezbollah will not disarm. That makes the UN 1/49 now doesn't it.

[eliteforce]

The Leb. Army has been in the S before and the go in and out but clearly it makes no difference..I saw them (leb army) on TV having a cerimony before they head to the S. with multiple rocket launchers and heavy artillary in the background..that was a clear message to Israel that don't expect the Lebanese Army to be hostile to Hez. instead it is hostile toward Israel..the only way for the border to be secure is for Israel to normalize relations with Leb. & Syria with embasseys in Beirut & Damascus..and the only way they can do that is with an aggreement concerning WB,Golan occupied territories..the arabs will not enforce un res passed calling for hez disarm if israel continues to be in violation of the more important res 242 from 1967 which is a territorial resolution, territorial resolutions pre-empt disarmanent resolutions.

[Teabagger]

The UN and its resolutions are worth less than the paper they're printed on. Israel won those territories after being attacked. To the winner goes the spoils. Israel will give them back when, and only when, their existence is not threatened on a daily basis by wack job despots, and megalamanic clerics. As for the Lebonese Army...it had better do its job, or the IDF will do it for them, and then Israel will not be disuaded from completely destroying Lebanon to the point the only weapons that will be found there are small rocks, and I wouldn't be surprised if Syria got some too...just for some payback.

[Phreak101]

The UN and its resolutions are worth less than the paper they're printed on. Israel won those territories after being attacked. To the winner goes the spoils. Israel will give them back when, and only when, their existence is not threatened on a daily basis by wack job despots, and megalamanic clerics. As for the Lebonese Army...it had better do its job, or the IDF will do it for them, and then Israel will not be disuaded from completely destroying Lebanon to the point the only weapons that will be found there are small rocks, and I wouldn't be surprised if Syria got some too...just for some payback.

What a glorious day that will be

[Pazienza]

Israel does not want to stay in Lebanon, it really cant handle a occupation of Lebanon, it tried that before and failed. And Hezbollah will not disarm. If Israel could not disarm Hezbollah in the 20 year war and occupation of Lebanon the shitty army of Lebanon cant do a thing.